


Scraps in the City

by Widow_Spyder



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Illness, Minor Injuries, Modern Era, Sleepy Cuddles, birthday fic, hehe, sengen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:47:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29305233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widow_Spyder/pseuds/Widow_Spyder
Summary: Gen giggled as he sat on the edge of the bed and somehow managed to expertly wrangle Senku’s lab coat off. “How’d you even make it by yourself for that long? Today was supposed to be the hottest day of the year.”Senku giggled too, feeling light and almost tipsy as he pointed finger guns in what he assumed was Gen’s direction, slurring his words as he said, “Science baby~.”
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	Scraps in the City

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alyxer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alyxer/gifts).



For the 13th time that night, Senku fiddled with the cracked screen of the monitor in front of him, willing the image in front of him to become clearer. It had been 5,841 seconds since Gen left their little shelter underneath the city, and he was supposed to be back anytime now. Except the heat sensors he’d installed in the underground tunnels hadn’t gone off yet. Unless you counted the rats, Senku was this close to setting traps for if only for the stutter his heart would make whenever one of them ran past the sensors and alerted him. He hated this part of the week. 

When Gen would leave to go up to the ground level so he could gamble and earn money for them to live. As much as he’d feel more at ease knowing what Gen was doing by being with him, Gen had argued his stamina and blunt nature would get him hurt sooner than later. Which meant he’d be stuck for hours by himself, keeping the monitors in check and running numbers in his head until Gen returned. 

Senku chuckled, thinking of all the people Gen has described to him and their faces when he pulls his trump card from his deck and floors them by winning everything. Gen was amazingly good at playing every card game imaginable and had a knack for manipulating people right into his trap. It was how they’d met years ago. 

When Gen was still part of Tsukasa, the lion’s street gang and Senku was just a scientist learning under one of the higher-ups from a rocket company who mainly spoke English. They’d both stumbled upon each other in the underground and Gen had tried beating Senku in a card game in return for his servitude to Tsukasa’s gang. Except Senku was the only one who could actually counteract all of Gen’s manipulation tricks so he wouldn’t get trapped. Gen had even resorted to cheating which Senku was able to counteract with his science - or well - a little wind, and the beetle Gen had hidden in his sleeves was blown away, but it counted.

In the end, they’d both admitted defeat if Gen joined Senku’s side and Senku kept Gen’s card-playing tricks a secret. Together they’d work towards an ultimate goal that would benefit both of them. For Senku, that was creating a rocket to go to space. For Gen, it was to re-create an old soda brand that he’d seen pictures of from old archives. Senku couldn’t help laughing when Gen dreamily sighed his wishes to him that night. The ensuing pout on Gen’s face had made him laugh even harder until they were both wheezing on the floor. 

Admittedly Gen’s goal was easier since the recipe list wasn’t that hard to come by, which meant that Gen would soon sip the crisp drink after only two weeks of them meeting. For Senku’s goal, it meant they’d have to work a long time to get the right parts and enough money to buy chemicals from different high-end companies.

The problem was that Senku couldn’t go to the surface. After revealing his intentions to the higher up he was learning from at the rocket company, the man - his mentor really - had suddenly turned on him and ordered an assassination bounty on his head. Even on a good day, Senku’s stamina was hardly up to par, and with the constant stress fevers he could get, there was no way he’d be able to go anywhere on the surface, which is why he’d found a home in the underground. Gen had scowled hard when Senku told him and had even gone so far as to yell profanities such as ‘ugly baby man’ and ‘stupid forehead ass’ at their ceiling. 

Eventually, they’d agreed on a system with Gen going out once a week to get supplies for them, while Senku worked hard to make new inventions to make life easier in the underground. It was with that thought that the alarms on their monitors finally went off for the tunnel system. Recently, Senku had installed security cameras to the sensors so he could see what was in the tunnel in case of emergencies. It had cost a lot of their resources, though, and Senku had been so busy with it that he’d forgotten to tell Gen about it. 

Ignoring the excited thrill running through his body, Senku got up, turning off the monitors for now, and pulled open the heavy door sealing the tunnel entrance to let Gen get through. Gen smiled brightly as he set down the bags he carried and emptied them on their table, revealing their contents to be plentiful and more than enough to last them the week. 

Senku smiled back. “Good job, mentalist.”

“Why, thank you, Senku-chan,” Gen said as he did a little bow like he was still on stage in his early years. “It took a bit of convincing this time to get everyone to go for ‘all or nothing’ though. I think they’re starting to spread rumors about me and my skills.”

“Don’t tell me you’re having a hard time already.” Senku teased as he grabbed a fresh cola from their fridge and handed it to Gen, who smirked and took it. 

“Absolutely not,” Gen said after he took a sip of the fizzy drink and sat down with a long sigh. “It’s just getting harder to avoid the sore losers after I take all of their money.”

“They went after you?”

“No, no, but I heard them whispering and looking at me weirdly.”

Senku hummed. “Maybe we should wait another week before you go out again.”

“Nonsense,” Gen waved him off. “We need the resources, plus even if they do start coming after me, I can just trick them off my back. They aren’t that hard-headed that they can’t be fooled.”

“Whatever you say, mentalist.”

“Oh, come on, Senku-chan! Cheer up and look through all the gears I brought back. Surely one of them is good enough for your science eye.” Gen said, winking. 

Senku rolled his eyes despite the smirk on his face as he, too, sat down and went through the gears in the bag. Gen took the time between sips of his drink to explain where he’d gotten each one from, beaming when he told a particular story of how he’d beaten this high-level gambler like him who only appeared once every year who’d betted a set of golden gears. 

Senku couldn’t have stopped smiling if he wanted to. Just staring as Gen continued enthusiastically explaining where each gear and coin had come from had some sort of strange feeling light up in Senku’s chest. It was exhilarating. 

For a second, the guilt at not telling him about the updated monitors and their resource setback crossed Senku’s mind. But as Gen suddenly went into another story about how he’d manage to swipe a particular gear, the guilt was all but forgotten. _He wouldn’t tell Gen about them just yet._ For now, he’d just enjoy the moment.

——————

Just like they had planned, the next week, Gen had gone out to the surface again like usual despite the whispers of him starting to spread. Since Gen hadn’t been concerned about it, though, Senku decided he shouldn’t be concerned with it either. Gen wasn’t a child, and he’d traversed more of the surface level than he’d ever had, so logically, he shouldn’t have to worry.

Except...

He does start to worry when five minutes late turns to 30 minutes late, then 40 minutes, then an hour, until finally, the sensors start blaring their alerts that something has entered the tunnels. 

With a sigh of relief, Senku felt his shoulders sag a bit upon seeing the gritty monitor image show Gen climbing down the surface ladder slowly. _A bit too slow._ Senku noticed. It took about a minute before Gen’s image appeared in the next camera angle, but when it did, Senku felt a cold thrill rush up his back, having nothing to do with the drafty pipes that made up their roof. 

Gen was clutching his side and hunched over like it pained him to move any faster despite the roaches threatening to nip his shoes. 

Senku didn’t even notice his feet moving him towards the steel door until he was pulling with all his might to open it and rush into the tunnels. It was a long system built by architects that lived long before them when the upper city was much worse than it was now. It was a way of safer travel for them, but now it didn’t seem that ‘safer’ wasn’t being effective anymore.

“Gen!” Senku yelled, his voice echoing loudly through the tunnel, effectively scaring the cockroaches away for a second. 

Immediately, Gen straightened, doing his best to contain the wince as he must’ve jostled whatever was hurting him. A regular occurrence with Gen was that he never showed his true feelings to anyone, and Senku hated it that Gen would still continue to do that in front of him. But that wasn’t important. Senku skidded to a halt in front of him, deciding to ignore the contained flinch Gen made as the movement seemed a bit fast. Instead, he took a deep breath to control his panting and slowly took Gen’s arm to rest around his neck while he gently held Gen’s hip with his other hand to guide them back. 

“You’re injured, idiot. What happened?”

Gen shook his head minutely, taking a minute before answering. “You updated the sensors.”

“And you got your ass kicked. Come on.” Senku scowled as they both entered their living space. 

“I’m fine..” Gen murmured. 

“You’re also early. Usually, you come back way later than this.” Senku huffed, gesturing for Gen to continue talking. “Well, come on, let’s continue lying, mentalist.”

Gen scowled. “How much did you spend on those updates?”

“None of your concern.” 

“It is when it was money I made!” Gen retorted, making Senku sigh even as he got to work, checking Gen’s ribs and putting cream on the sore areas. 

“It took about a quarter from our monthly saved income,” Senku mumbled. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. We were saving that!” Gen groaned, though if it was because of annoyance or because Senku had started tightly wrapping his torso, they’d never know. “Now I’m going to have to go back twice a week to make up for it.”

“You aren’t going up to the surface any time soon, actually. You’re injured. You need to rest.” Senku stated matter of factly, trying to keep the anger out of his tone for Gen’s nonchalance at his own injuries. 

“A few bruises, nothing more, Senku-chan, I’m more than fit to go back up.” Gen said, quietly adding, “For the second time,” under his breath. 

“And what happened this first time?”

“A few guys noticed I was winning a lot. Followed me as I left and chased after me. I had to take the long way around the city. Might’ve caught a few hits, but I managed to shake them.” Gen shrugged, though it was halted greatly by Senku tightening the bandage wrap and tying it up. 

“Which guys?”

“The usual from Hyouga’s group,” Gen said as Senku stepped back to admire his work. There must’ve been a frown on his face because Gen poked his forehead with a smirk. “Angry on my behalf, Senku-chan?” Gen asked, making Senku huff and ignore the question as he led Gen to the bedroom to lay down. Even so, Gen took Senku’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I really am fine, you know.”

Senku ducked into the bed beside him before Gen had the chance to see his face reddening. “Yeah, yeah. Just be more careful.”

Gen hummed in agreement before they both relaxed enough to stay in comfortable silence together. 

“I wish things were different.” Senku heard himself whisper in the dark.

“I know,” Gen said. “One day, we’ll have enough to get you to space. Or at least, see space for now.”

“Yeah..” Senku said as Gen quickly fell asleep after that. Senku didn’t like the way Gen’s breath was labored from under the bandages. He’d have to talk to Gen about being more careful in the morning.

——————

Except, the scrapes didn’t stop after that. One week, its hand marks dug so deep they leave dark marks for days afterward all over his arms. Next was a red hand slap on his cheek and a cigarette burn on his neck that was way too close to infection than Senku liked. Especially since they barely had medical supplies. The trips do bring something else along with the injuries, though.

That first week, Gen had brought back double the amount of gears and circuit boards. The next week Gen had brought back so much money his pockets overflowed, and his smile was bright despite the slightly off-focused look in his eye from the slap. 

Senku wasn’t a simpleton. He knew what Gen was doing, and he hated that he had no idea how to talk Gen out of it. They were a dynamic duo. The left side and right side of a brain. The scientist and the mentalist. Talking was Gen’s forte unless it was science and logistics, and Senku had no idea how to even bring up the topic. The last thing he wanted was for Gen to get the wrong idea and think that he wasn’t grateful. He was, of course. But he didn’t want Gen to put his life on the line so often. The whole reason they were working for this was so that they could see the stars in space together. _Surely Gen knew that._

Senku decided that evening; he’d tell Gen to take a break. At least two weeks so they could relax a bit. As much as Senku was adamant about getting to their goal as soon as possible, it wouldn’t even be a quarter of fun if Gen killed himself before then. 

Except all calm and rational thought flees immediately when Senku watches Gen limp through the tunnel, practically dragging his right foot behind him that should not be twisted the way it was… with an entire small engine tucked safely in Gen’s arms. 

For a second, Senku felt déjà vu as he again opened the heavy steel door and bolted down the tunnels to meet Gen. He looks even worse than the monitor image had shown. His left eye was bruised, and there were red marks on his neck like someone had tried to strangle him. 

What he means to ask is, _are you okay? Can you move your toes? Can you still feel your foot?_

Instead, what comes out is, “Are you trying to kill yourself?” 

“Excuse me?”

Senku shook himself as he supported Gen’s weight back to their living space, where he gingerly sat him down on a chair before rushing for their medkit. 

“You’re staying down here until this heals completely,” Senku said as he probed Gen’s foot, looking for any breaks. Luckily he couldn’t find any. 

“Are you forgetting? We need supplies after you used half of them up.”

Carefully, Senku placed Gen’s foot on a stool so it could rest as he went to the fridge to grab some ice for Gen’s eye. “I only used a quarter, not half, and we have more than enough to live comfortably until you heal.”

“You can’t just make me stay down here!” Gen yelled angrily as Senku chose not to retort. Again he took most of Gen’s weight and made him get into bed, propping up his sprained ankle on a pillow. “Don’t ignore me!”

“Rest, mentalist. We’ll talk when you aren’t in a mood.”

Gen glared at him. “Fine!”

Except they didn’t talk. As Gen rested his foot in bed, he’d repeatedly turn up his nose and ignore Senku as he delivered food to him in bed and helped him to the bathroom. Senku had only shrugged at the time, thinking Gen needed another day to calm down. As much as Senku was known to not really be attuned with feelings, he knew why Gen was so antsy to leave. Gen just wasn’t used to being in the dark underground for long periods at a time like he was. He needed the sun shining on his skin and the smelly breeze through his hair, and the feeling of freedom. Things you couldn’t get in the underground with its tight spaces and ‘trappy’ feeling. If Senku had to guess, he’d assume that Gen had mild claustrophobia, so keeping him in the same place for a long time was certain to bring up some tension. The thing was that Gen needed to heal. A sprained foot could still cause a lot of damage in the long run, and he’d hated to watch Gen have a limp in the future, so he’d pressed hard for Gen to stay put. 

Eventually, two weeks passed, with tensions between them strung so tight they were bound to snap at any time. 

And snap, they did as Senku caught Gen getting up and packing his day bag for surface missions early in the morning. Senku always was a light sleeper but seeing Gen scowl at him as he demanded to know what Gen was doing was enough for Senku’s anger to boil over. 

“You’ve barely even healed!” Senku had yelled at him. 

“You can’t keep me trapped here!” Gen yelled even louder back. 

“I will if it’s for your own good!”

“Don’t pretend like you know what’s good for me or not! You wouldn’t even last a day up there!”

“And you’d be better with a near fractured foot?!”

“At least I wouldn’t pass out from a stress fever!”

“Then get out if you hate it here so much!”

“Maybe I will!”

“Good!” Senku yelled, even as a cold thrill of fear raced down his spine as he watched Gen walk away into the tunnels, his voice echoing off the walls as he answered. 

“Fine!”

——————

Senku’s not worried... per se. He’s not. It’s only been 13 and a half hours since Gen’s been on the surface while Senku paced the small space of their living quarters. He knows Gen can at least keep himself from dying when he’s by himself on the surface, so he shouldn’t have to worry at all. Even as Senku packed a small bag and opened the tunnel door, he repeatedly told himself he wasn’t concerned.

Without Gen there, everything had become so quiet and still. The dust had barely settled, and the monitors made no noise. It was almost smothering, and Senku had enough. While he wasn’t up for forgiving Gen just yet, he still needed him to bring supplies and help with their chores. 

_A working machine needs all its gears to work. Take out one screw, and the whole thing falls apart._

Senku grumbled as the quote came to mind. As much as he’d have a hard time saying it out loud, he needed Gen with him. He needed to get him back, even if it meant traversing the surface-level world. Senku wiped his forehead and shook off the sweat that had gathered as he walked in the blazing heat. He hated the surface level. Even as he had to narrowly avoid any stranger who looked at him, the city itself was a nightmare. It smelled, and it was hot, and no matter which corner he turned, there’d always be someone there to try and scam him. 

Harsh breathes escaped Senku’s chest as he stopped to rest against a wall in the shade. Glancing down at the handmade watch on his wrist, Senku scowled as he realized he’d been up on the surface for an hour already, walking in every direction, down every alley that was marked on their map, and yet he still couldn’t find Gen anywhere. 

Self-preservation started kicking in as he realized the heat he felt was more than the humidity making his head feel strange and slow. Gen was right. He barely lasted an hour before his body succumbed to all the stress he was putting in. 

He needed to find Gen, though. 

He needed to apologize and get him back.

“-chan!”

They needed to complete their mission together.

“Senku-chan!” And Senku knows that voice anywhere. He knows he feels relief as familiar hands grab his shoulders and let him rest a part of his weight on them. He knows the worried face that’s moving his head back and forth, feeling his forehead. “Idiot, what’re you doing up here!?” Senku can’t answer. He’s too busy dopily smiling, as he just feels relieved to have found his other half. Or maybe that was the fever talking? He can’t even hear Gen’s ranting on why he shouldn’t be there over the blood rush in his ears. He just tips forward and clumsily wraps his arms around Gen’s shoulders, which stuns the other into silence. “Senku-chan?”

_Oh right, words,_ Senku chuckled. “You’re okay.”

“I- of course, I’m okay! You, on the other hand… You could’ve died by yourself up here!” Gen scolded as he hugged him back tightly. For a minute, they stood there silently wrapped around each other before Gen moved Senku back against the wall, took a water bottle out of his pack, and made Senku drink from it. 

“Now you know how I feel every time you leave,” Senku responded after he emptied the bottle.

“Senku-chan…” Gen sighed before he looked around worriedly as other people began to stare at them. “We shouldn’t have this conversation up here. Let’s go back.” Gen whispered as they started their trek back home, with Gen carrying most of Senku’s weight this time. 

“Are you staying?” Senku mumbled into Gen’s shoulder, where he was resting his head as Gen managed to carry him down the ladder into the tunnel system. The fever seemed to be burning through any reservoir of walls he’d put up between him and his true feelings as he couldn’t seem to stop himself from asking. 

“Of course I am. Where else would I go?” Gen said, smiling in reassurance.

“Good.” Senku smiled. “Hate it- oh-” Senku swayed a bit on his feet as Gen maneuvered him into a better position in which he could carry him on his back. “-when you leave.”

“I knew you cared for me.” Gen chuckled through his panting as he carried Senku through the tunnel and back to their home. 

“Mhm, always.”

“Come on, let’s lie down and get that temperature lower, hm?” Gen said as Senku all but collapsed like a puddle of slush onto the bed. What felt like a second later, Gen was coming back and placing a wet towel filled with ice cubes on his forehead.

“That’s nice,” Senku sighed dreamily.

Gen giggled as he sat on the edge of the bed and somehow managed to expertly wrangle Senku’s lab coat off. “How’d you even make it by yourself for that long? Today was supposed to be the hottest day of the year.” 

Senku giggled too, feeling light and almost tipsy as he pointed finger guns in what he assumed was Gen’s direction, slurring his words as he said, “Science baby~.”

Gen laughed, poking Senku’s towel-covered forehead. “I hope you know you are never going to live that down as long as you know me.”

“I know.” Senku yawned, making Gen take the bed covers and tuck him in. 

“Rest, Senku-chan. We’ll deal with tomorrow when it comes.” 

“Gen.” Senku called as Gen stood up to leave, moving his arm sluggishly to try to grab Gen’s hand. Gen smiled a small smile before complying with the silent wish and getting into the bed, leaning against the headboard as he held Senku’s hand under the covers. “We’ll see the stars together, m’kay?” Senku slurred as sleep took more and more of a stronger hold on him. “So don’t- don’t die before then.”

“Oh.” Gen felt his breath stutter as he exhaled. “Is that why you were looking for me?”

“Missed you,” Senku mumbled as his eyes slid closed. 

“I missed you too,” Gen admitted as he laid his head down on Senku’s shoulder. “And I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful, I promise.”

“Okay… sorry too.” Senku squeezed Gen’s hand as tight as he could. “For trapping you.”

“It’s alright. We’ll discuss it more later when you can actually hold a conversation.” Gen chuckled, squeezing Senku’s hand back as he felt it slacken with exhaustion. 

“Stay here,” Senku whispered before sleep finally took hold of him, and he drifted into his dreams. 

“Of course, Senku-chan.” Gen smiled as he leaned up to kiss Senku’s cheek. “Sleep well, idiot scientist~”

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, I know I said I'd be coming back in March... but today is the birthday of someone really special to me so I've come back for the occasion with a premise we came up with together a while back! Happy Birthday bean!! Hope it's delightfully sengen filled~ 
> 
> Hope you liked this one! And thank you for reading this far!
> 
> Tumblr! @/ Widow-Spyder


End file.
